Thursday, December 26, 2013

Happiness of a Travel Specialist

It is often said, if you are happy with your profession, you chose wisely. Funny thing is, the travel profession chose me. Some would say it was kismet, fate. 

There are strange perceptions about the travel industry and being a travel consultant. Mostly I hear how lucky I am that I get to travel all over for free anytime I want. Well, not exactly true. Yes, there are invitations to travel for learning experiences, but sadly they are not free. However it gives me the ability to share the experiences with my clients. 

The other day while in NY at the USA Today office for interviews, a colleague and I were talking about the good, bad and ugly of our profession. We both agreed the good far outweighed the other to options for us. This profession gives us the opportunity to share our love for travel and open the world to others who want the happiness travel provides. 
From USA Today NY Midtown Office

One of the best parts of this business is sharing knowledge of wonderful destinations, cultures, history, people and more. I get excited with each new request, no matter the request. It could be a short beach style vacation or an extended journey to the ends of the earth. Just knowing, in the end, my clients will have the travel experience they want is my satisfaction. 

Mostly, it is the thank you at the end of the journey or the picture sent during the vacation that says it all. When I see the smiling faces or a beautiful view taken during an excursion, it is confirmation of a job well done and a promise kept to my clients. Very few professionals get to have that type of satisfaction from their work.
View from Pucon, Chile

Of course as a travel consultant, bad days do happen. Airlines are delayed or cruises canceled because of weather. There is a rush to try to make other arrangements to 'save the day.' Sometimes changes are possible, but sometimes Mother Nature gets her way. 

One such story happened this week. I received a call from a friend who is a concierge at the Hudson Hotel in New York. He explained they had a lovely couple from Australia as guests. Unfortunately due to a situation in the Galapagos, their trip was canceled. They did not want to stay an extra 8 days in New York, but wanted a warm Caribbean beach vacation where they could dive as well. Oh, did I mention this was December 23rd and they wanted to travel December 27th? 

The search began! Trying to coordinate a new flight out of the NY area and an available resort, still affordable, a real challenge. Not to mention, getting them back in time to Miami for their next flight the following week.  I could not let this couple down. By the end of the day a room at a luxury adults only hotel was cleared from the waitlist and one of the last available flights out of New York was secured. They are all set to go. A few extra hours after 'office hours' were needed to get everything set, but in the end, it is the result that counts. Yara and Justin are very happy and their photo they sent last night, says it all. 
Travel Happiness - Yara and Justin

To my past and current clients, I want to say thank you for your business and all of the thanks and pictures over the year. On to next year with more wonderful journeys to plan and more pictures to come.